Childhood Friends

Epilogue

It has been about 15~16 years now. Hyunjin and I moved to Las Vegas when the kids were Chaeryoung was 10 and Hyunjae was 12. I want them to go to school in America for a little bit so they can get a sense of what it's like. They will now go by their English names; Luke and Charlie. They attended middle school at Hyde Park Middle School and are currently attending high school at Nevada State High School - Las Vegas: Downtown. Luke is 17 and Charlie is 15 now. I researched top high schools in Vegas because I want only the best education for my kids. Hyunjin couldn't agree with me more. We don't want them going to the shady part of time. Although, some might agree that all of Vegas is the shady part. As long as our kids can make a safe commute to and from school, without any serious injury, then that's one of the things I care most about.

While going to high school in Las Vegas, Luke and Charlie saw that a K-pop company is having auditions. Intrigued by the idea of being an idol because Hyunjin and I were idols before, they thought it would be fun to try it too. The company was none other than JYP Entertainment. They are still interested in finding foreigners to join their company, with even more diverse backgrounds. Luke and Charlie are the most diverse, I believe, with; Filipino, German, a sprinkle of Spanish, the tiniest bit of British & Irish, and are half Korean. I haven't met any idol who have that much of a mix before. I am confident in Luke and Charlie that they will do well. Hyunjin happily enrolled them in a dance academy and paid for their vocal lessons. I'm sure they'll be ready for their auditions.

They drive themselves to the audition venue Hyunjin and I watch Luke and Charlie drive away, on their way to the audition venue. Hyunjin puts his hand to his heart, getting emotional. His kids are all grown up now, about to go to their first K-pop audition. Like most things, this makes him emotional. He didn't know that the day when Luke and Charlie would leave the house to become idols. I know they'll update us once their auditions are finished.

Luke and Charlie arrive at the venue. They line up and wait to pick up the papers they need to fill out before auditioning. This paper includes things like; profile pictures, personal information, possible positions within a group, etc. When they finally reach the table with all the papers, they grab one of each. Then, they go sit down and begin filling them out.
"Hey, Luke. What do you think my strengths are?" Charlie asked.
"You? Umm. . . You're really good at learning languages. I don't get how you do it." Luke said.
"Okay, I'll put that down." Charlie said.
"What about me?" Luke asked.
"You're a really good dancer. I think you take after dad." Charlie said.
"Oh, thanks. I'll write that." Luke said.
When they finish filling out the papers, they turn them in and stick their names to their chest. Then, they have to wait even longer for their names to be called. They are in alphabetical order, so it might take a little bit.

Then, Luke is called into the audition first. To evaluate the auditionees is the new JYP Entertainment CEO. J.Y Park had retired and replaced by a new CEO, Bang Chan. We were all surprised when Bang Chan became CEO. It came out of nowhere. We already warned Luke that he would be there to evaluate him, but he's still not ready. He has a good ability of shaking off his nerves and forgetting all the pressure, just to stay focused on his performance. That's one of his best strengths. He chose to do a dance cover of "when the party's over," by Billie Eilish, inspired by Hyunjin's cover, all those years ago. I had caught Luke watching that video over and over, completely mesmorized by Hyunjin's graceful movements. Luke will try his best to do this cover, not copying Hyunjin completely, but rather paying homage to it. The music begins and Luke starts dancing beautifully to the song. The new JYP CEO watches Luke, nodding his head. He seems impressed by Luke already.

When Luke finishes his cover, J.Y Park has a few comments for him.
"Hwang Hyunjae. That name sounds very familiar. Your father is Hyunjin correct?" Bang Chan asked.
"Yes, sir." Luke said.
"He was one of my best friends, you know." Bang Chan said.
"I know. My dad told me all those stories of when Stray Kids was still together. Now, you used to be the leader and you became CEO. That's crazy." Luke said.
"Right. Well, JYP was looking for a new CEO, and I jumped the gun. I wanted to give it a try, and here I am years later." Bang Chan explained.
"Okay." Luke said.
"Please go on with your vocal audition." Bang Chan said.
"Sure." Luke said.

Luke chose to sing "A song without you" by Eric Nam. He thought it had a good mix of English and Korean, so Luke could flex his multilingual skills. Being multilingual in the industry isn't as uncommon as it used to be, but Luke just wanted to show where he comes from. He lived in Korea until he was about 12 years old, then moved to Las Vegas, and became fluent in English. He's just proud of himself. When Luke finishes his audition, Bang Chan claps proudly.
"I knew Hyunjin was up to something when he told me he was starting a family." Bang Chan jokes.
"Ah, stop, but thanks." Luke said, blushing.
"You're gonna go great places, kid. Just believe in yourself." Bang Chan said.
"Will do." Luke said.
"You may go now." Bang Chan said.
"Okay." Luke said, shuffling out of the audition room.